Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining
by SpathiDromeas12
Summary: Sally and Paul are found dead barely three months after the giant war. When the mortals accuse Percy of the crime, and the godly world doesn't know what to believe, Percy makes a choice that will make his life harder than ever, but will protect those he cares for. As Percy struggles to find the silver lining in his clouded future, the skies awaken and nature stirs."Brace yourself."
1. The Beginning

**Hi guys! Sorry I haven't updated my other stories in so long, but my documents keep deleting, and I've been really busy. This story will also be a Pertemis, but there won't be any interaction between them for several chapters. This is my attempt at making a mostly in character story. Naturally, some people will be slightly OOC, as there is no way this story would happen otherwise (*cough cough* Artemis *cough*), but otherwise, the characters should be in character. I hope you enjoy! - Spathi**

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Prologue:

November 30th, 2010 - 3 months after the giant war

 _Sally and Paul walk through the streets of New York City. It's dark out, and the moon is covered by the clouds. The night is a cold one, and the couple huddle closer to each other for warmth. Soon, the couple pass a dark alleyway. Someone emerges from the alley, and starts to follow them. The couple is blissfully ignorant of their stalker. As they near their apartment, something in the darkness catches Sally's eye. She turns towards it, but there's no one there. Sally shakes it off. They keep walking. Suddenly, there is a loud noise. Paul jumps, startled. He spins around, but it's too late. All he sees is a flash of steel, and a second later, he's in the lobby of DOA Recording Studios. Sally screams, but it is quickly cut short. When the sun rises the next day, Sally Jackson and Paul Blofis are found dead, feet away from their apartment._

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The next day...

 _Breaking news: A couple was found dead outside of their apartment this morning. Sally Jackson and Paul Blofis were attacked by an unknown assailant with a knife. Police suspect Perseus "Percy" Achilles Jackson, Sally's teenage son who has a criminal record. Percy was suspected to be involved in the defacing of the St. Louis Arch when he was twelve. A year ago, Percy Jackson disappeared off of the face of the earth, only to reappear about three months ago. Police are searching for Percy Jackson to bring him in for questioning, but he is nowhere to be found. Could this seventeen year old have killed his mother and step-father? If you see him, please call 911 immediately._

Percy's mouth dropped open in shock. _"No..._ _Mom and Paul can't be dead. They can't be."_ , he thought. At that moment, both demigod camps were assembled in the amphitheater at CHB for the monthly reunion. The demigods had been having breakfast and watching the news on Hephaestus's new monster-proof TVs. At the announcement, every demigod's head turned towards him. Some of the demigods were suspicious. Others were completely shocked. Most didn't know what to think. Percy blinked.

"I didn't kill them, I swear. I had no part in... ", he trailed off.

 _"What if a monster killed them out of revenge. What if they're dead because of me?"_

Percy was frozen with horror. He couldn't even bear the thought of his parents dying because of him. He didn't even register that all of the demigods were still staring at him. Neither did he react as most of the demigods filed out of the amphitheater, muttering amongst themselves.

"Percy?"

Percy snapped back to reality to find Annabeth's arms wrapped around him. She was resting her head on his shoulder, whispering reassurances into his ear. In front of him, the rest of the seven, Reyna, and Calypso were watching him worriedly.

"Percy. It's ok. All you have to do is swear on the River Styx that you had nothing to do with it, and everything will be alright." Piper smiled at him. Percy couldn't move. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't even look his friends in the eye.

"You can do that right?" Piper was getting worried now. Why didn't he just swear on the Styx? It's not like he had anything to do with it. Right? Then why didn't he just swear?

"Percy? You didn't..." Frank's face showed utter horror. He refused to believe that Percy Jackson could have had anything to do with his parents' murder.

"No. I just- " Percy could hardly get the words out. He stared at the ground. His fatal flaw was suffocating him, making him believe that it was his fault.

"Percy. Just swear it on the Styx, and you'll be fine." Jason's tone was scared but commanding. The son of Zeus couldn't understand why Percy didn't just swear on the river. Percy was scaring him with his hesitance, and Jason couldn't take it anymore. At his words, Percy looked up at him. Percy's eyes swirled with self-loathing and guilt as he dropped the bomb.

"I can't."

Jason staggered back. So did the other demigods, except for Annabeth.

"How can you not? Unless... You're not saying that you had something to do with it, did you?" Hazel gasped. Percy said nothing. He just gazed at his friends with the same mix of guilt and self-loathing in his eyes.

"What did you do?" Leo's voice was low, menacing. His hands started to smoke. Still, Percy didn't say a word.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?" Leo exploded. Percy continued to stare at them blankly.

"You can't even trust your friends, can you? You're nothing but a murderer. You killed your own mother and step-father. How low can you get?" Reyna snarled. They all stalked away. Annabeth remained in her position, hugging Percy harder as he was overtaken by his fatal flaw.

"Percy. You can't blame yourself for Sally and Paul's death. It could have been a random mortal for all you know." Annabeth's voice was calm and soothing. Her eyes showed sympathy, but also grief.

"Yeah. I guess." Percy sighed. Annabeth kissed him, and his guilt disappeared. But it came rushing back in an instant.

"I think I'm going to go lie down." Annabeth looked at him, eyes full of worry and concern.

"Are you sure? You still get nightmares about, you know..."

"Yes, I'm sure. Although I'm still amazed that your nightmares went away.", he replied.

"Percy, you went through more than I did down there. You have more scars to bear." Annabeth hugged him tightly.

"Get some sleep, Percy. You'll feel better when you wake up."

"Alright. Good night, Wise Girl." Annabeth smiled sadly.

"Bye, Seaweed Brain." At that, Percy went to his cabin to rest. The morning's events had left him emotionally drained. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

* * *

 _Percy's Dream_

 _He was standing in the corner of the throne room, where the gods seemed to be yelling at each other._

 _"MY SON DID NOT KILL SALLY AND PAUL!" Poseidon yelled._

 _"You never know, maybe he had something against them." Hera said. Her voice dripped with condescension._

 _"NO WAY IN TARTARUS. HE LOVED THEM MORE THAN ANYTHING. HIS FATAL FLAW IS PERSONAL LOYALTY FOR CHAOS'S SAKE." The god of the sea was completely enraged. His eyes swirled like hurricanes, and every muscle in his body was tense._

 _"He went through the pit. He could have gone insane. Most heroes who go insane turn against their fatal flaw." Athena suggested._

 _"MY SON IS NOT INSANE. DIONYSUS. IS MY SON INSANE?" Poseidon turned his attention to the god of wine, who was reading a magazine and looking bored._

 _"Surprisingly, no. The brat's still sane. Somehow." Poseidon seemed slightly calmed by this._

 _"Why don't we just kill the punk, and solve all our problems." Several gods nod, showing their approval. With that, the god of the sea's anger reappeared._

 _"WE WILL NOT KILL MY SON!" he roared._

 _"It's not a terrible idea." Zeus mused._

 _"HOW DARE YOU-"_

 _"DON'T YELL AT ME, I AM THE KING OF THE GODS!"_

 _"YOU'RE DOING A GREAT JOB OF IT"_

 _"WAS THAT SARCASM? YOU DID NOT-"_

 _"NO. IT WASN'T SARCASM ALMIGHTY THUNDERER!"_

 _In the hearth, Hestia sighed, and put her head in her hands. Her family never got along. Percy watched as the other gods started fighting and yelling as well._

 _"Little sis! Can you tell your hunters not to shoot me when I try to flirt with them?"_

 _"Brother. For the last time, you do not flirt with my hunters. You do not talk to, look at, or even think about my hunters. And do not call me little sis. "_

 _"You stole my wife!"_

 _"She's mine now, cripple"_

 _"CEREAL!"_

 _"No, I can't deliver your stuff right now. I'm in a meeting."_

 _As the chaos in the room increased, the gods started to glow brighter. The light became absolutely blinding, and the dream faded._

 **Chapter 1 is up already, so just go ahead! Click the next button!**


	2. Leaving Camp Half-Blood

**If you didn't read the prologue, make sure to go read it! Hope you like it!**

Chapter 1:

Same day as before -7:00 PM

Percy's P.O.V.

I wake up to the sound of the conch horn calling for dinner. I pull on a CHB t-shirt and some jeans, and jog over to the amphitheater to get some food. Upon arriving, Annabeth walks up to me and kisses my cheek, but I'm preoccupied with my dream. It looked like some of the gods wouldn't mind killing me for punishment for a crime I didn't even commit. My thoughts turn towards Mom and Paul. Who could have killed them? Was it a monster, or a mortal, like Annabeth suggested? It could have been anything. While I am still sad about their deaths, I know that they wouldn't want me to mourn them for long. Also, I can't even blame myself for it, because Annabeth is right, as usual. I continue thinking as I walk over to the Poseidon table and sit down. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see the rest of the seven, Reyna, and Calypso glaring at me. I'm sad that the conclusion that they came to was that I consciously had a part in Mom and Paul's death, but none of them know me as well as Annabeth. None of them know my fatal flaw. I summon my usual blue food and cherry coke, which only reminds me of Mom. I decide to honor Mom by continuing to eat blue food and dig in. As I eat, I hear everyone muttering about the news, some glaring at me, others glancing over suspiciously. I see several dirty looks shot towards Annabeth as well, which makes sense, seeing as she's the only one who is completely on my side. I don't think much of it, until I see Calypso positively glowering at her. Now I feel like an idiot. My presence will endanger her, because most of the demigods think I did it. Even my old friends from CHB are convinced. I'm guessing the rest of the seven, Reyna, or Calypso told them what they think I did. But it's not just her. Everyone here is in danger, because some of the gods are going to try and kill me. They might send monsters, which would endanger everyone. Once I realize this, I make up my mind. I'm leaving Camp Half-Blood and the godly world until my name is cleared. Until then, I won't return. That is, if I survive till then. I decide to leave that night, when everybody is sleeping. After making my decision, I get up, and go back to my cabin to pack. I'm going to really miss this world. The worst part is that I have to leave Annabeth. In 20 minutes, I am finished packing. I begin to clean my cabin. By nine o'clock, my cabin is empty, the possessions I'm not taking with me hidden in a compartment only I know about. As I stare at my barren cabin, I hear a knock on the door.

"Who is it?", I call.

"It's Annabeth", came the reply.

I open the door and Annabeth walks in. I close it as she hugs me tightly. Annabeth then pecks me on the cheek, and spins around.

"So-" She takes one look at my cabin and turns towards me.

"Where are you going?", she says. I smile sadly at her.

"Annabeth-" I start, but she interrupts me.

"Percy, you promised you wouldn't ever leave me again." There are tears in her eyes, and I hate to do this, but I have no choice.

"Annabeth. I had a dream about the gods. Some of them want to kill me as punishment for killing Mom and Paul, even though I didn't do it. They wouldn't dare do it directly, so they'll probably send monsters after me. And I can't put any of the other demigods in danger. I have to leave. I can't even take you with me, because if I see you get hurt, it will kill me."

"You're hurting me right now!" She is openly crying now, and I can't help but reach out and wipe them off.

"Annabeth, please. I really don't want to do this, but you mean everything to me. I want you to live a peaceful life. I wanted to you to have that with me, but if that's impossible, then I'm alright with it. All I want is for you to be happy. Besides, even if I stay here, the campers are going to hate you for associating with me. Even if you're with me, losing those friendships will hurt you deeply, and I can't be the cause of that. I just can't." She nods at me, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Okay. I understand. Are you leaving now?" She looks so depressed, and I can feel my heart breaking as I embrace her.

"No, I'm going to wait for the demigods to go to sleep."

"Okay. I'll stay here with you until then." And now we're both crying, and just hugging each other as tightly as possible while sitting on my bed. We spend the next two hours reminiscing the 5 years we've known each other. At 11 o'clock, I stand up, and pull her up with me.

"I have to leave you now. I want you to promise me that you'll move on." At this, she breaks down crying again.

"I can't move on. I can't.", she bawls.

"Please. For my sake, promise me you'll try to move on. Swear on the River Styx." I plead. She won't look at me, so I cup her chin and turn her face towards me. I quickly get lost in her sorrow-filled stormy grey eyes. After a few minutes, she composes herself and nods.

"I swear on the River Styx that I'll try my hardest to move on." I gaze at her with sorrow in my eyes.

"You'll always hold a special place in my heart, Annabeth Chase."

"Mine too, Perseus Jackson."

"One last kiss for good luck?" I ask with a sad smile. She pulls me in for a kiss, and we pour all of our sorrow and passion into it. When we break apart, I hoist my backpack onto my shoulders.

"Remember me?" I say.

"Always", Annabeth replies.

"I guess this is goodbye, Wise Girl."

"I guess so, Seaweed Brain."

I place a kiss to her forehead, and walk away. When I reach Thalia's Pine, I look back at her. She's still standing in the doorway of Cabin 3, her blond hair messy but beautiful, her stormy grey eyes flashing with pain and sadness, her face still streaked with tears. As our eyes make contact for the last time for several years, sea green to stormy grey, she mouths something at me. I smile and walk away, leaving with her last words to me fading fast from her lips.

 _You still drool when you sleep._

 **Was this angsty? Did you die of feels? That's what I was aiming for. My chapters won't always be this dramatic though. Do you think I portrayed the characters correctly? Review! - Spathi**


	3. Finding Out

**Hi guys! Back with another chapter! - Spathi**

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December 2nd, 2010

7:00 A.M (Around 8 hours after the last chapter)

Annnabeth's P.O.V

 _He's gone. He's gone and he's not coming back._ That's the only thing I can think of as I sit on my bed in Cabin 6. I'd been sitting there since he left, still in my CHB T-shirt and jeans. What makes it worse is that he didn't do it because he was overcome with grief. He didn't do it because the rest of the seven, Reyna, and Calypso turned their back on him. He didn't even do it out of fear for his own life. He did it to protect those he cared about. He did it because of his stupid fatal flaw. Percy couldn't even be a little selfish and take me with him because he wanted my life to be as good as possible. He didn't even care about the fact that his life would pretty much suck more than it already does. I sigh. Stupid Seaweed Brain. Around me, my siblings sleep peacefully, oblivious to my pain. There are no children of Minerva, but I know that in every other cabin, Roman demigods are bunking up with their godly parent's Greek children. I'm suddenly extremely glad I'm not a daughter of Aphrodite/Venus, Apollo, or Hermes/Mercury. I remember how crowded it was in Cabin 11 when the gods weren't claiming their children. It's a good thing Percy made them promise on the River Styx to do so. Percy made me promise on the Styx to try my best to move on. But it's going to be hard. He's been a constant in my life for so long that without him, it feels like there's something missing. No matter what I think about, my brain always goes back to him. It's no use trying to think about something else, so I continue thinking about Percy's choice. At 8:00, the alarm clocks in the cabin go off, and my siblings wake up. I run a brush through my hair, wash the dried tears from my face, and get ready for the day. Once I'm ready, I grab my Yankees cap, strap my knife to my wrist, and start walking to the amphitheater for breakfast. At breakfast, everyone notices that Percy's gone. Every couple of seconds, someone glances at the Poseidon table, then at the cabins, as if they're expecting Percy to burst out of Cabin 3 and sprint over here. After breakfast, I see the rest of the seven, Reyna, and Calypso walking towards Percy's cabin. I pull my invisibility hat on, and follow them. Jason bangs on the door.

"Oi. Jackson. Come out of the cabin. You missed breakfast.", he says with a harsh tone. Obviously, there is no answer. Reyna raps on the door again.

"C'mon Jackson. Come out of the cabin. You obviously don't care about Sally and Paul's death, seeing as you killed them, so I don't know why you're moping.", Leo says, rolling his eyes.

"Guys, maybe he's asleep. And he could have killed his parents because he went insane from Tartarus. Maybe that's why he looked so shocked when he heard the news." Frank suggested. I glare at them. They don't know him at all. Granted, no one knows him like I do, but still. Percy's either the strongest person I've ever met, or the most stubborn. Probably the latter. Percy absolutely refuses to do anything he doesn't want to, and that includes going insane. What's his catchphrase again? Oh yeah. _The sea doesn't like to be restrained._ I miss him so much. While I think about Percy's endearing stubbornness, the rest of the seven, Reyna, and Calypso have kept trying to get into Percy's cabin, to no avail. They try to open the door, but I locked it last night after I left. Finally, Jason growls in frustration.

"Screw it. I'm breaking the door down." He backs up a few steps, and shoulder-slams the door, making it pop open. He storms angrily inside (no pun intended), and stops in his tracks once he takes a look at the cabin.

"Jason?", Piper asks tentatively. The rest of the group walks inside, and I follow. I lean on the doorframe and struggle not to laugh as every one of their faces expresses complete bewilderment.

"Where is he?", Hazel asks, her eyes full of worry. I snort mentally. Didn't they turn their backs on him just yesterday? Yeah, I get that they misunderstood him, but seriously. They have no right to worry for him after they essentially unfriended him. I take my cap off and glare at their backs.

"He's long gone.", I say. I fight to keep a straight face as the group jumps and whips around to face me. Immediately, their faces turn to dislike. I laugh out loud.

"What gives, guys? I thought we were friends.", I comment, with a mock hurt expression on my face.

"Enough games, Chase. Where's Jackson.", Reyna snarls. I sneer at her.

"You guys are all imbeciles. You come up with such piffle about Percy, and then you have the audacity to not ask for his side of the story? You guys are great friends.", I growled.

"He killed his mother and step-father. What else is there to know?", Leo says. I scoff at him.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe that his fatal flaw is personal loyalty, so he'd never do that? Maybe that he'd blame himself for their deaths anyways, because a monster could have done it as revenge towards him? Maybe that he wouldn't swear on the Styx because he thinks he can't say for sure that it wasn't his fault? Maybe that he actually cares for all of you deeply? Oh, but it's not like any of that's important anyways. It doesn't matter whatsoever.", I snap sarcastically. The entire group looks horrified.

"Annabeth?" Calypso asks.

"Where is Percy?" I turn towards her and sigh.

"He left camp at around midnight. Apparently, he had a dream of the Olympian council. They don't know he's innocent, and some were contemplating killing him. He told me that since they wouldn't ever kill him outright, they'd probably send some powerful monsters after him. Percy left to protect the camp from danger. He also realized that staying would make the entire camp hate me for associating with him. I couldn't even go with him because he wants me to try to have a happy life and move on. Percy made me swear on the River Styx to do so." I say, my eyes filling with tears. Jason, Leo, and Reyna look extremely guilty and horrified at their own actions. Hazel, Calypso, and Piper are near tears, and Frank is in shock.

"But where is he going?", Frank says. I look at the shapeshifter with solemn eyes.

"I don't know.", I whisper.

Hazel sobs, and Frank immediately goes to embrace her.

"Shhh. It's okay. It's going to be alright.", he says.

"But we turned our backs on him. We didn't even try to listen to his side of the story.", she sobs.

Leo looks down at his feet.

"I didn't mean to get so mad at him. I feel like such a hypocrite. I thought I had killed my own mom, but it was Gaea's fault, not mine. I got over it once I realized that. But you said that his fatal flaw is personal loyalty. So that means that..." his eyes widen in horror.

"It means that no matter what anyone says or does, a small part of him will always blame himself for anything that goes wrong. He may accepted that those situations weren't his fault, but it always comes back to haunt him when he's feeling down. Like, a couple years ago, he blamed himself for the death of Nico's sister, Bianca di Angelo. And he also blamed himself for the deaths of Charles Beckendorf , son of Hephaestus, and Silena Beauregard, daughter of Aphrodite, during the Titan war. Leo, Piper, you've heard of them, right?", I watch them nod in affirmation.

"Percy knew Bianca?", Hazel asks.

"Yes, he and Grover brought her and Nico to camp. He accompanied Bianca on her first quest after she joined the hunters. The quest was to save myself and Lady Artemis. They were headed to Mt. Tam when they ran into Talos. Percy saw a way to defeat Talos and told Bianca his plan so she could cover him. Instead, she sacrificed herself to bring down the metal giant." Talking about Percy makes me feel better.

"Guys. We have to find him." Jason yells. I shake my head.

"Jason, that's not a good idea. I want him back here as well, but he'd never agree to come back with us unless his name was cleared and the gods decided not to try to kill him. He's too stubborn to do anything otherwise. Percy's stubbornness is what got him out of the pit alive and sane, not to mention gave him the willpower to hold up the sky for me when he was 14. His stubbornness gave him the courage to stand up to gods, titans, and primordials alike, what makes you think that we can convince him to back down?", I reason. Jason sighs and stares at his hands. The entire group looks discouraged. I try to cheer them up.

"If we do manage to find out who did it, and clear his name, we could convince the gods not to try and kill him. Then it's only a matter of locating him, and bringing him back.", I say.

"Then again, that last part's hard enough to do without him consciously trying to avoid us.", Jason replies.

"True. If we can't do that, then all we can do is wait.", Reyna responds. I nod. All good things come with time, after all.

* * *

 _On the other side of the world, on a beach in Greece_

A lone teenager walks along the beach. His sea green eyes flash in the darkness.

"This is going to be sooo fun.", he grumbles. He stops, gazes at the moon, and then turns around and vanishes into the night.

The trees stir and grass trembles, but there is no wind. Suddenly, a titan's burden lessens, and everything in nature is still. Time is suspended.

The wind whispers: _Brace yourself._

A second later, everything goes back to normal, as if nothing happened.

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 **How'd you like it? Review and tell me! - Spathi**


	4. The Undertow

Back again guys! Thanks for all the reviews! dogbiscuit1967, that might be fun. I think I'll put that in later. Thanks for the suggestion! You are right, by the way. Thanks to everyone else for your support! On with the story! - Spathi

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December 3, 2010 (The day after the last chapter)

Percy's P.O.V.

I sit on a beach near Athens. I have no idea what to do now. Like most of my plans, I didn't really think this one through. I sigh and stand up. I guess that the only thing I can really do is wander around. Hey, I could walk across the water, like Orion did. What did that guy actually do? There are so many versions of the story, I don't know which one is true. Focus, Percy, focus. Right. Walking across the water. I start walking in a random direction, willing the water to increase my speed, like those conveyor belt things at the airport. Naturally, I run into a sea monster after about 20 minutes. This was my 10th monster since I left camp.

After I walked away from Annabeth, I decided to try vapor traveling as far as possible. Vapor traveling is nice because it doesn't tire me that much. It makes sense, because I get energy back when I'm in water. So, when I vapor-traveled away, I ended up in a lake somewhere in Scotland. Strangely enough, the lake had a giant squid in it, as well as some merpeople. When I emerged from the water, this kid with dark hair, green eyes, glasses, and a weird scar pointed a stick at me. At that point, I decided to just vapor travel again. Once I landed (in the Seine river in France), I was immediately attacked by Dr. Thorn, which was really annoying. Like, he still had his stupid French accent, and he was wearing a beret. I slashed at him with Riptide, and climbed out the river. I dried myself, went to an ATM, and got some money (Thank the gods that Bank of America partnered with BNP Paribas, otherwise I would have had to steal stuff). From there, I bought some blue macaroons from the nearest pastry shop, several bags of blue corn chips, some mashed blue potatoes, and some bottles of blue gatorade. I sat down on a random bench. This is a lot better than being in Seine River. I quickly devoured my macaroons and potatoes, but I decided to save my corn chips for a little while. From there, I went to the Eiffel tower, where I got chased by 3 empousae yelling in french. After killing them, I bought a disposable camera so I could do some sightseeing. I got someone to snap a picture of me in front of the Eiffel tower, and vapor traveled away. This time, I was in Rome, by the Coliseum. I snapped another picture of the Coliseum, turned around, and found myself facing 2 katoblepones. Frank had told me about these things. I brought out Riptide in pen form, and attacked swiftly. After hearing other katoblepones moo in outrage, I quickly vapor-traveled to Athens. I went to the Parthenon, asked someone to take my picture in front of it. 10 minutes later, I was buying some gyros at a street cart. As I enjoyed my meal, 3 Scythian dracanae popped out of nowhere. I sighed and faced them. 30 seconds later, I was standing in front of a pile of dust. I decided that the gods probably hadn't realized I was gone yet, so they weren't sending powerful monsters after me. I went to the beach and sat down. That led me to where I was now.

The sea serpent glares at me. The serpent's neck broke the surface of the water, making me guess that the rest of its body was coiled up below it. It's head was as large as my torso. The serpent puts its face close to mine and hisses. I punch it in the face. It rears back in pain, and I punch it again. It tries to strike at me, but I sidestep and punch it in the mouth, dislodging a tooth. The tooth was as long as a _pugio_ , but a lot sharper. I grab the tooth and stab the serpent in the eye. It explodes, leaving me with a sizable serpent tooth in my hand. Cool. I put the tooth in my backpack, and continue walking. After a while, I hear the faint sound of a hammer against metal. Curious, I walk in the direction that I hear the sound from. I finally see what looks like a cyclops hammering away at a beautifully made sword. As I approach across the water, the cyclops looks up at me.

"Who are you, demigod?", he booms.

"My name is Percy Jackson. I am the son of Poseidon. What's your name?", I respond.

"Humph. I am Cedalion. You remind me of your brother. When I was a youth, I guided him to the rays of Helios, but it was not enough to restore his eyesight. Instead, Hephaestus and I built him some eyes.", the cyclops replies.

"Wait. Are you talking about Orion?", I ask.

"Yes, I am talking about that arrogant hunter." Cedalion turns towards me.

"You seem different than he does. You do not boast of your achievements, neither did you command me to tell you who I was." Cedalion says.

"Everything that I've done, I've had help with. I don't have a reason to boast, not when I lost friends along the way." I reply. I walk closer to him.

"Woah. That sword is really nice looking.", I say.

"It is called Antirevma", Cedalion says.

"The undertow." I say.

"Yes. The current that drags one beneath the ocean. And before you know it, you have been taken to the depths of the sea.", Cedalion replies. I stare at him.

"That sounds like the description for my sword, Riptide. Except that mine is the current that takes one by surprise. And before you know it, you have been swept out to sea.", I say.

Cedalion looks surprised.

"You knew Zoe Nightshade?" he asks.

"Yes. I met her while she was the lieutenant of Artemis. I found out that she created the blade that my father gave me." I pull out Riptide and show it to him.

"Such fine craftsmanship. This blade, Antirevma, was meant to be the sister blade of Anaklusmos. The riptide and the undertow, so often mistaken for one another, working in tandem. Tell you what. It's been a long time since I've had a pupil. If you let me teach you how to forge, I'll give you Antirevma. I'll teach you how to make weapons out of monster spoils as well. Deal?" Cedalion asks. I stare at him in shock.

"You'd do that for me?", I inquire.

"If that blade recognizes you as it owner, then you have to be a great hero. Zoe made Anaklusmos to only be wielded by the best of heroes." he grunts. I nod enthusiastically.

"Deal."

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 **Hope you enjoyed that chapter! Review, and I'll see you soon! - Spathi**


	5. Material Farming

**I'm back! Here's the next chappie. Kind of a filler, but you learn some stuff. And I think you'll like the end... Here you go! - Spathi**

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March 1, 2011

Percy's P.O.V

For months, I learn how to forge. At 5 in the morning, I wake up and collect materials. I mine bronze from the original Mt. Olympus, silver from the original Mount Orthrys, gold from the seven hills of Rome, and iron from around the House of Hades. Cedalion also had me go to Norway for some steel. It was freezing up there. I collect lava from the original Mt. Etna for a magical heat source. At 9, I go hunting for monsters. Cedalion taught me that the teeth of serpent monsters absorb venom, so he has me collect as many as possible. I also collect poisonous materials from monsters, specifically pit scorpions (Which can get really annoying because I can't slice them in half. I have to crush them with the flat side of Riptide so I can salvage the venom. Not to mention that they have to be alive while I'm doing it.), and centaurs (I try not to attack them. Instead, I leave a pot of root beer out in the open, and watch as they get sugar high and pass out. Then, I walk up to them, and siphon a bit of blood from them.). Cedalion just tells me what I need to get, and I go collect them. At 12, I grab some lunch and start working at the forge. After 6 hours of working, learning new techniques, and experimenting, I eat dinner, and train with my water powers, Riptide, and Undertow. Now, I can use my water powers without becoming super tired afterwards. I've learned how to dual wield with Anaklusmos and Antirevma. I can also make basic weaponry and technology. My muscles have become toned from all of the forging I've done. I haven't used any of the stuff I've collected, which confuses me. I managed to make myself a monster-proof iPhone. It doesn't attract monsters, and it masks my scent. Cedalion told me that I smell like a demigod son of Triton when I carry it. I'm assuming that's good. I put the pictures I took on the disposable onto the phone. I've also taken selfies in front of Ephesus, Stonehenge, Big Ben, the Pyramids of Giza, and many other tourist attractions. I also made myself brown contacts that correct my dyslexia and allow me to see through the mist full time. This morning, I went through my normal routine. As I start working at the forge, Cedalion calls me over. He shows me 5 giant jugs of water.

"Each of these jugs have water from one of the five rivers of the Underworld of it. Today, you're going to learn how to make Celestial bronze, Imperial gold, Stygian iron, Orthytic silver, and Bone steel." he says.

"What's Bone steel?", I ask.

"It's from another pantheon, but it's rather useful.", he replies. I am surprised. I knew there were other gods, since I met Carter and his sister, but seriously, how many types of gods are there? I can barely remember the names of the gods in one, no need to add unpronounceable names from other mythologies as well.

For Celestial bronze, you'll need to temper the bronze you've collected in the lava from Etna. Then, cool it in Lethe water. For Imperial gold, take the gold to the top of the original temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus in Rome, and make a fire. Heat the gold in the fire, and pray to Jupiter. Lightning will strike the ore. Take it back here and cool it in the waters of the Cocytus." Cedalion said.

"Wait, but won't Zeus realize that it's me?" I ask.

"No. Because you're in Rome, and the flame of Western civilization is in America, he won't be able to see who you are." he responds. I still don't get the entire Western Civilization concept. But whenever someone tries to explain complicated things to me, I zone out, so I guess there's no point in explaining it to me.

"For the Stygian iron, you need to submerge the iron in the water of the Styx. Let it sit there for 13 seconds, then take it out and let it dry. For Orthrytic Silver, you need to add a drop of your blood to it." he continues. I interrupt him.

"Wait, what?", I say.

"You have to add a drop of your blood because you want it to recognize you as it's master. This way, only you can wield your weapons. If any one else tries, the metal will become extremely heavy, and you won't be able to pick it up." Cedalion replies.

"Are all weapons of Orthrytic Silver like that?" I ask.

"No, but it will be beneficial to you if you do.", he says.

"Now, after you add your blood, make sure to heat it up, then cool it in Acheron water. This is the reason why Kronos's scythe stings when it cuts you. The soul draining thing is something else, some type of dark magic. The last one is the hardest one. First, you need to find a Titan." I stop him.

"WHAT? I HAVE TO FIND A TITAN." I yell.

"Yes, that's what I said. Pay attention. Now, after you find the Titan, you need to defeat the Titan and get some blood. After you do that, find a drakon and do the same thing." he grumbles. I yell at him again.

"WHAT THE HADES DO YOU MEAN FIND A DRAKON." I scream. Cedalion sighs.

"Bone steel is hardened in the blood of whatever creature you want it to be most effective against. You need to obtain the blood of the toughest monsters so that you can kill them more easily in the future. Anyways, once you get that, harden the steel, and dip in the Phlegethon water.", he explains.

"Well, schist." I mutter.

"Happy hunting!" Cedalion grins at me, and walks to his forge.

* * *

2 weeks later: March 15, 2011

Percy's P.O.V.

The past two weeks have pretty much sucked. I made Celestial bronze, Imperial gold, Stygian iron, and Orthotic silver in the first 3 days. Then, I went monster hunting. I tracked an Aethiopean Drakon across the Horn of Africa, just so that I could get some of its blood. After knocking it out, collecting its blood and teeth (drakons are apparently serpent monsters too.), and killing it, I went to Epirus. From there, I found a hellhound and collected its blood. I went on tracking monsters, and collecting blood, until I had covered the ones that I see a lot. After a week, I had gotten every monster I could think of. Now, I had to tackle the big problem: the titan. I spent days trying to figure out which Titans I could actually track. Hyperion and Krios were out, seeing as they had been sucked into Tartarus's face. Bob was obviously out, which made me sad. Koios and Kronos were out, thank the gods (or myself). Oceanus? Maybe, but I didn't know where to find him. I had no idea where the Titanesses were, so that was a dead end. Atlas was in San Francisco, which would be suicide. Prometheus was a slippery coward, and he was most likely in the United States. Calypso and Leto were big no-nos, for obvious reasons. So who could I go after? After 4 days of contemplation. I decided to try looking around the original Mt. Orthrys for ideas. That brings me to today. I am currently hiding in a bush at the top of Mt. Orthrys, because Atlas and Perses are both standing 10 feet in front of me. My thoughts right now? _Schist_. _I didn't even know that Perses was around, and Atlas is supposed to be holding up the sky!_ _Who's holding it now?_ I sit in the bush and listen to the Titans' conversation. I could leave, but I need to know what the Hades is going on right now.

"How are you out from under the sky, Atlas?", Perses asks. I'm wondering the same thing.

"3 months ago, the sky just lifted from my shoulders, and I walked out. Now, I'm out here, hiding from the gods. How long have you been out here?", Atlas replies. _What does he mean by the sky just lifted from his shoulders. How'd that happen?_

"Oh, about 3 decades, give or take." Perses says nonchalantly. _Wow. If he's been out here for 30 years without the gods noticing, I could stay in Greece forever!_

"Wow. Quite the long time." Atlas responds. At this point, I'm bored of the conversation because of my ADHD, and the bush is ridiculously itchy. I try to vapor-travel away, but I snap a stick as I shift to do so. _Damn stick._ I look up, where both titans are staring at me, surprised.

"Schist."

* * *

 **Cliffy! That's a wrap for this chapter! See you next time! - Spathi**


	6. Dylan Corentin

**Hi guys! Sorry about the wait, life's been hectic... I've posted a larger chapter to try and make up for it! I decided to move the story along a bit (read: a lot.), so there's a lot of time skipping. And a bit of filler. It picks up towards the end...On with the story!**

* * *

 _Excerpt from the Diary of Annabeth Chase: March 15, 2011_

 _It's been a couple of months since I last saw Percy. At first, it was hard to function. Just like when he disappeared before, I could suddenly feel his absence. I had to resist the urge to search for him, because I knew he wouldn't want me to. About a month after he disappeared, I asked Aphrodite to remove my romantic love for him. She couldn't do it outright, because it's not within her power to create and destroy true love, but she did have the power to make it fade over time. It doesn't count as destroying true love because if the couple tries to make it work, their love for each other will return. Seeing as Percy isn't here, my love for him has faded. He will always be my best friend, but I'm not interested in him romantically anymore. Meanwhile, nothing's really happened. The mortals still think Percy killed his parents, and the gods have been silent for ages. The hunters haven't been to camp either, so I assume that they don't know about Percy's situation. I guess that makes sense, seeing as they don't like camp anyways. But something feels off. Grover says that nature is growing substantially stronger, which doesn't make any sense, because Pan is gone. Monster attacks are rare, and more and more demigods have been making their way to camp with no interference. I don't know what's going on, and I don't like it one bit._

* * *

Percy's P.O.V.

I rise from my bush as the two titans turn to face me.

"Um, hi?", I say. Perses sneers at me.

"Who is this demigod?" he snarls. Atlas laughs in disbelief.

"That's Perseus Jackson, the upstart who defeated Kronos himself, as well as several other titans." he replies. I shift uncomfortably. The situation isn't looking very good. Perses looks at me with a spark of interest.

"Is that so? He must be quite powerful. And his name is Perseus. Destroyer. I like that." I don't know where he's going with this, but it's not everyday that a Titan praises you and says he likes your name.

"Tell you what, young Perseus. I am the titan of Destruction, yet I have no interest in fighting the gods. While they've been in charge, the mortals have learned to be quite destructive themselves. This satisfies me. But I want to see how strong you are. So, let's make a deal. You will fight me, one on one. This is not a death match, as that is useless to me. I only wish to see whether you can defeat me or not. If I win, you will lose a finger. If you win, I will reward you well. As to what I mean by that, you shall remain in the dark about it unless you win. If you try to walk away, you will lose your entire left hand. I swear on the river Styx to follow through with everything I just said. Deal?" Perses looks at me expectantly. Atlas speaks up.

"I too am tired of fighting against the gods. Doing so has only gotten me stuck under the sky. I have not seen much of this modern world yet. I'd prefer to have the freedom to explore. So if you beat Perses, I will also give you a reward. This I swear on the Styx." he grunts. I am extremely surprised. I'd never expected Atlas of all Titans to offer that to me.

"I accept the duel. I kind of like my left hand, and this is a lot nicer than fighting both of you at the same time. I thought you two were going to kill me." I respond. Perses laughs, and pulls out a giant axe.

"Come then. Hit me with your best shot!" he roars. I immediately bring out Riptide and Undertow, and charge the titan. Perses swings his battle-ax at my torso with surprising speed, and I barely manage to block it with my swords. The impact knocks me backwards a couple of yards, and I come to the conclusion that I should probably dodge his axe instead of blocking it. I roll to the side as Perses swings again, and come up behind him. I drop Undertow, and move to slash at his back with Riptide, but the titan turns around and thrusts his palm at me.

"BACK!" he yells, and I am thrown back by a wall of golden light.

"I really hate it when you guys do that.", I groan as I get to my feet. This time when I charge, I fake a slash at his head, and stab at his ankle. As I expected, he moves to block it with the end of his axe. I spin the other way, uncap Undertow, and strike at his unguarded side. The blade opens a cut in Perses's arm, and he quickly jumps back.

"That was a good move." he says, examining his arm.

"Now let's see how you fare against this." He points his axe at me, and a blast of red energy hurtles towards my face. I instinctively dive to my left. In mid air, I am thrown forwards by an explosion. As I land, I look at the place I was standing when Perses shot his energy ball at me. There is a massive crater, literally scorched into the ground. My shirt is on fire, and I am covered in cuts and bruises. I stare incredulously at Perses.

"Definitely not a death match.", I snark. Perses shrugs unapologetically.

Glancing back at the crater gives me a crazy idea. Something from 6th grade science class pops into my head. I back up until I am about 20 yards from the titan of Destruction. Said titan smirks and raises his axe to shoot at me again. I create a sizable ball of water, which I hurl at the red ball of energy as it leaves his axe. The water is superheated to the point that it creates a lot of steam, which I take advantage of. I quickly vapor travel behind him and slash at his unprotected back. Perses bellows in pain and swings his axe around but he can't see me. The steam is too thick. I jump back and avoid the axe. Then, I quickly stomp on the ground, causing a small earthquake. The tremors combined with him being off balance because of the power of the swing cause him to lose his footing. I surge forwards and spartan kick him the titan in the back, which feels like kicking a refrigerator. I can tell that my ankle is sprained. I choose to ignore , I hold Riptide to the back of his neck, and lightly press the tip of Undertow to the small of his back.

"Do you admit defeat?" I ask. The titan's chest rumbles with laughter.

"Yes. You truly are as powerful as Atlas says." I step back, and watch Perses climb to his feet. As I wait, I pop a piece of ambrosia in my mouth. My cuts and bruises fade, and my ankle heals. I sigh in relief. Atlas approaches us from wherever he went to watch us fight.

"Here. This is my reward to you." Atlas grunts. He hands me an awesome looking spear made of a mix of titanium and Orthytic silver. The spear is very light, and it seems to glow a sea green. I look at Atlas quizzically.

"There is a gem in the center of the spear. It used to belong to Pleione, which is the reason why the spear glows sea-green." he explains. I am completely astounded.

"Thanks. I think I'll name it Strychnos." I say. The word appears on the side of the spear, and Atlas stiffens.

"Nightshade..." he whispers, and I nod at him. Perses chooses this time to speak up.

"And here are my gifts to you!" He smiles enthusiastically as he pulls out a beautiful bow. The bow is black with veins of silver running through it. It's made of an alloy of Stygian iron and titanium, and the veins seem to be Orthytic Silver. I pull back on the string, and an arrow immediately appears.

"It has a spell on it so that you'll have unlimited arrows, and if you modify one, it will modify all of them." I look at the bow in awe. It's amazing. But there's one big problem.

"I can't shoot to save my life." I say. Perses laughs.

"In exactly 64 days, come back here. I'll take you to someone who can train you." I thank him profusely, which seems to amuse him. I name the bow Ydrargyros, which means Quicksilver.

"Now, for your other gift." Perses says.

"What do you mean? This is more than enough." I stammer. Perses shakes his head and hands me a vial of shiny liquid. I look at it, confused.

"Drink it. I swear on the Styx that it won't kill you." the titan says. I uncork the vial and down the contents. Immediately, I fall to the ground in pain. Once my vision clears, I sit up and glare at Perses.

"What the Hades was that?" I yell.

"3 drops of water from each of the five rivers of the Underworld, 3 drops of adamantium, 6 drops of my blood, and 12 drops of saltwater." he replies nonchalantly.

"WHAT?" I scream.

"Don't worry. All it did was increase your healing speed. I have a feeling that you'll get hurt a lot in the future." I glare at the titan again, but I decide to see whether it worked. I experimentally cut my hand with Riptide, and watch in awe as the cut closes in minutes.

"Cool, thanks." I say. Perses just laughs. Atlas rolls his eyes.

"Well, I'll see you in 64 days! Unless you have anything else to say?" Perses grins at me.

"Oh! Could I by chance get about a cup of blood from each of you?" I ask. The two titans stare at me for a good minute. Then, they shrug and fill the vials I hand them with their blood.

"Alright, thanks! Bye!" I salute them and vapor travel back to Cedalion's forge.

When I get back, the sun is setting. I show Cedalion the materials I collected. He then teaches me how to make bone steel. I add in all the blood from the different creatures I found, and start tempering the steel. When I'm done, I create an alloy of the Celestial bronze, Imperial gold, Orthytic silver, Stygian iron, bone steel, and titanium. I add a good amount of ground serpent tooth to the mix. Then, I add a thin layer of the alloy (which I decide to call Omnium) to my swords, spear, bow, and an arrow. True to Perses's word, the arrows generated by the bow immediately gain a layer of the alloy, which saves me a lot of time. Once my weapons and arrows cool, I put them aside. I then use some Omnium to forge 12 special arrows, which I dip in a mixture of centaur blood, pit scorpion venom, and hydra acid. These would be extremely deadly, but I want to be ready for any emergencies. While they cool, I create a quiver out of monster hides, which I ask Cedalion to enchant so that it will appear on my back when I want it to. I silently swear that I'll never use these arrows unless I absolutely have to. I ask Cedalion to enchant my new spear and bow so that they can turn into a small item like my swords. 3 hours later, he hands me a beautiful leather bracelet with a trident engraved on a blue bead and a silver ring with an engraving of a wolf. I put the bracelet on my right arm, and the ring on my left hand. I test the spear out by flicking my wrist. Sure enough, Strychnos appears. I drop the spear and it vanishes. Next, I raise my left arm up as if I'm holding a bow, and just like the bows of the Hunters, Ydrargyros appears in my hands. I suddenly realize that I might need a shield. I work on creating one, which takes me about 6 hours. I work late into the night, and when I'm satisfied with my work, Cedalion enchants the shield so that it can turn into a watch. By the next morning, I am wearing an Omega Seamaster diving watch, which has a hippocampus engraved on the back. I think about the shield appearing, and it spirals out of the watch. I am now fully prepared for battle.

* * *

May 25, 2011 (64 days later)

Percy's P.O.V.

I'm back at Mt. Orthys, waiting for Perses to bring me to whoever he thinks can teach me archery. It's been 64 days, and I've spent them training. My fighting is a lot better than before, and my endurance has improved. I've figured out fighting with dual swords, my sword and shield, my spear and shield, a single sword, a spear, and even a sword and spear. The latter is something I'll only ever use if I'm trying to confuse my enemy, and it works surprisingly well. It's probably because no one ever fights with both at the same time, so it's extremely hard to defend. I've also improved my water powers a lot. The only thing that I haven't trained with is my bow. I'm really hoping that Perses found a trainer that can actually teach me, because my bow skills are abysmal. I said my goodbyes to Cedalion, who clapped me on the back and wished me luck. At around noon, Perses flashes in.

"Hey Percy! Ready to meet your trainer? She's the best of the best!", he says excitedly.

"Yeah, I guess so." I say. I'm freaking out. I really don't want to shoot this trainer on accident, whoever she is.

"Great!" Perses grabs my arm and flashes me to an island.

"Welcome to Delos!", he says. The titan gives me no time to process this. Instead, he practically drags me through the ruins, and over some mountains. After a while, we come across a clearing completely hidden from view because there are mountains on literally every side of it.

"Why didn't we just flash here?" I wonder out loud.

"This place is heavily veiled with mist and spells. You can't flash in or out." Perses replies. He leads me to a small house sitting on the edge of the clearing. He knocks on the door, and a lady opens it. She appears to be in her forties, with light brown hair and ice blue eyes. Standing next to her is a man in his thirties with the same ice blue eyes, but with white hair. As I focus on the man regarding me with a cold stare, I suddenly realize that he looks a lot like a certain Titan.

"Are you two related to Koios?" I ask. I remember Koios's icy blue hair and eyes, as well as the aura of cold he radiates.

"That they are, Perseus Jackson", someone behind me booms. I whip around, and Koios himself is striding towards me.

"This is Leto and Lelantos respectively." he says. I turn to Perses in shock. He shrugs. I turn back to Leto and Lelantos. Looking at them closely, I can see Apollo's smile on Lelantos's face, and Leto's eyes gleam a brightly as Artemis's does.

"Leto was supposed to teach you archery. I wasn't expecting the other two to be here. Although, it's just as well. They can all train you. Leto with archery, Lelantos with hunting skills, and Koios with your water control." Perses says. The three aforementioned titans nod their head in acquiescence.

"Anyways, have fun!" Perses yells as he flashes out.

"Wait. What does he mean by water control? And aren't you against the gods?" I ask Koios.

"First off, I am the titan of the North. I have ice and cold weather powers because of this. And if my children aren't against the gods, then I'm not. I stayed out of the second Titanomachy because of that." he responds.

"Oh. Okay." I don't know what else to say.

"Let's get started then." Koios grins.

* * *

June 1, 2011

Percy's P.O.V.

It's been a week since I started training here, and holy Styx, it's hard. Leto has a glare almost as scary as my mom's was, and she uses it whenever I do something wrong. Which is like every couple of minutes. Every day, I spend 6 hours training with her, 6 with Lelantos, 6 with Koios, and the remaining 6 to sleep. I've actually made progress with my archery, meaning that my shots go wide instead of behind me. Lelantos has been teaching me how to sneak around, as well as parkour. The latter was surprising, but apparently being the Titan of air means you like to do flips and run on the walls instead of the ground. Koios has taught me how to turn ice to water, and vice versa. Now, I'm working with him on redirecting attacks. I've seen Jason redirect spears with the wind, and Nico redirect arrows with the shadows, so I'm very interested to find out how I can redirect things.

"Do you know how much water there is in the world that's not in a lake, stream, pond, or the ocean?" Koios asks me. It turns out that he's also the titan of Intelligence, so he's like an Athena who doesn't want to kill me.

"No."

"Well, there is 37.5 quadrillion gallons of water in the atmosphere. On top of that, 3% of air is made of water. There is 4 quintillion cubic meters of air, so 120,000,000,000,000,000 of those cubic meters are water. That is approximately 32 quintillion gallons of water in the air. So, there is tons of water wherever you go, be it the middle of the desert, or Nebraska. " My jaw drops. That's a lot of water.

"You can use the water in the air to do a lot of things. Try it." Koios urges. I reach out with my senses, trying to feel for the water. I don't feel anything. I push harder and harder, calling the water to me, until I can suddenly sense everything around me. My eyes widen with surprise. I decide to try something different. I bring out my bow, and shoot. As the shot goes wide, I focus on the water around the arrow, and command it to zoom towards the tree behind Koios. The arrow does exactly that, but I know I still have to learn how to shoot. That trick takes too much concentration and time. I continue to practice with my powers until the six hours are up. Then, I go get some sleep.

* * *

August 1, 2011 (2 months later)

Percy's P.O.V

Today is the anniversary of the Giant War, and it's kind of depressing. I head to Leto's lesson, bracing myself for another day of gradual improvement. I start shooting over and over again. For once, Leto doesn't say anything. She just observes me silently. After about 5 hours of me shooting, she stops me.

"Hold on." She examines me, and I start to feel really uncomfortable.

"Ah. That must be the problem." she says.

"What do you mean?" I respond.

"Well, I've been watching you, and your stance is perfect, your aim is mostly accurate, and you pull back with the right amount of strength. You're doing everything right, but you've been cursed. Actually, you've been cursed by 2 gods." she explains.

"Which two, and with what?" I ask.

"My son cursed all sons of Poseidon with horrible skills in archery, which was probably a result of the Orion incident. He didn't want a repeat. And Ares cursed you with a limit on your fighting skills, which doesn't seem to affect you at all. If these are removed, then you'll be able to shoot straight, and your mastery in other weapons will increase greatly as well." Leto replies.

"I guess that explains something. The one time I was able to shoot accurately was after I prayed to both Apollo and Artemis. But how do I remove the curses?" I ask.

"I can override Apollo's because I'm his mother, and more powerful. When you leave this place, ask Perses to help. He can destroy nigh anything with his powers of destruction, and he is also the father of Hecate." she says. Leto puts her index finger on my forehead and concentrates. I feel something dissolve. I bring my bow up and shoot, and it actually hits the target. Not a bullseye of course, but the outer edge of it.

"That's a lot better. Keep practicing." Leto smiles, and walks away. After several hours, it's time for me to go to Lelantos's lesson.

"Hey Perce, what's new?" the titan of the hunt asks.

"Nothing much. I learned how to shoot in the general direction of something." I respond.

"Well, I've got a surprise for you." He puts two fingers on the side of my head. I feel a rush of energy pass through me, and I stare at him in confusion.

"What was that?" I ask.

"Oh, you know. Just a minor blessing from me. It gives you better senses, better stealth, increased electricity resistance, and best of all, it allows you to always land on your feet when falling. You can fall from 50 feet without getting a scratch or even making a sound!" He beams at me.

"Wow, thanks!"

"No problem, man! Now let's do some parkour!" He turns, runs up the side of a tree, and backflips onto another tree's branch, landing with perfect balance.

"Come on!" he yells. I grin and follow him.

* * *

May 25, 2012 (Exactly one year since he started training on Delos)

"You have completed your training with us. It is time for you to move on. Go to America. Start a new life under an alias. Use the mist if needed. Good luck, Perseus." Koios says. I thank him profusely, and give Leto and Lelantos a hug. I've definitely improved a lot, thanks to their training. I can shoot straight, move as nimbly as any hunter, and use my water powers to a greater degree. Perses flashes me to the middle of Texas. He removes Ares's curse on me, turns my hair brown, wishes me luck, and flashes away. I blink at the speed at which I departed from Delos. I shrug and pop my brown contacts in. Here goes nothing.

The first thing I do is buy myself a double cheeseburger with fries. There was no greasy food on Delos, and I missed cheeseburgers so much. I then buy a motorcycle using a Lotus Casino Card. I'll need it to get around normally. It's a nice black color, with blue highlights. Later, I plan on tinkering with it to improve it. Finally, I come up with a new name. Dylan Corentin. I spend some time building a backstory for my alias. Once I'm finished, I hop on my new motorcycle and head to the nearest hotel.

The next day, I vapor travel my motorcycle and I to Los Angeles. I ride around, looking for a job. I may have a Lotus card, but I don't want to depend on it. Besides, what better place is there to hide from the gods and mortals than in plain sight? Soon, I see a billboard advertising tryouts for a singing competition called American Idol. I grab the flyer and shrug. It couldn't hurt to try out, would it? My singing isn't that bad, so it's worth a shot. The tryouts are in July, and I still need a steady job, so I bring out my monster proof iPhone, and look for ideas. I realize that with my skill set, I could be a really good stuntman in the movie industries. I look for the nearest stunt school, and sign up. The training is easy, and I am thankful that Lelantos taught me parkour. The trainers keep asking me whether I've done stunts before, which really flatters me. Within a couple of weeks, I've been hired as a stuntman in Fast and Furious 6. It turns out that I have the right height and build to double for the main character. I get to crash cars and jump across highway lanes onto a tank. My favorite stunt was driving a car through a plane that was on fire. However, I have to wear a bald cap, which wasn't very fun. It turns out that my singing is actually really good. I'm slightly concerned about my face being shown on TV, but I decide that my disguise is good enough. I buy myself a nice house in Malibu, and prepare myself for my new life.

* * *

 _Excerpt from the Diary of Percy Jackson: December 1, 2012_

 _It's been two years since I left CHB and I'm doing quite well. I haven't thought about Annabeth in a long time because I've made myself so busy. I'm hoping she's alright. I'm doing stunts for two Marvel movies: Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World. I'm also doing stunts for R.I.P.D., White House Down, and Pacific Rim. I actually get interviewed by reporters a lot. To be honest, they make me nervous. Yeah, the great Percy Jackson is freaked out by some pushy mortals with microphones, cameras, and a pen. It's a really mundane and normal feeling, and I like it. It's nice. And to be fair, I know first hand how dangerous a pen can be._

* * *

 _Excerpt from the Diary of Percy Jackson: July 1, 2013_

 _I've been doing pretty well in my stunt career. I've put the money away in a Swiss bank account so that it would be well protected. I've started doing stunts for Captain America: The Winter Soldier, as well as The Amazing Spiderman 2, and Guardians of the Galaxy. It's really crazy and hectic. I've been working with Marvel a lot more. I'm starting a serious career as an actor, and it's kind of scary. I got the part of Hercules in The Legend of Hercules which is awesome (although I still hate the guy's guts). I also got the part of Jack Ryan in Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit after Chris Pine decided to work on a different movie. The rest of this year is going to be really crazy, but really fun._

* * *

 _Excerpt from the Diary of Percy Jackson: March 5, 2014_

 _I'm actually famous now. I'm an actual celebrity. And it's kind of horrible because everyone knows who I am (or rather who Dylan Corentin is), but I've become quite successful. On another note, the actual culprit of my parent's murder has been found. However, he escaped from jail. Stupid police. I still live in Malibu, which is awesome. I spend my free time either practicing with my weapons, playing video games (it's not like I had a chance as a teenager), or doing water sports. I also do a lot of running, to keep my stamina up. No girlfriend, which should be obvious, seeing as my only options are mortal, and I don't want to drag anyone into this crazy life I have. I haven't been attacked by a monster for the past two years, which is amazing. I can also use my bow pretty well now. And it turns out that I'm even better with my sword than I thought. I never thought that I'd say this, but thank you Ares!_

* * *

 _Excerpt from the Diary of Percy Jackson: September 9, 2014_

 _I'm currently holding what is probably the most humiliating article about me I've ever read. The title? Sexiest Male Celebrity: Dylan Corentin. The article goes on to wax poetic about my appearance and my attitude. Not to mention my 'voice that sounds like dark chocolate' and my 'mysterious brown eyes'. It's flattering and all, but it's also really embarrassing. The thing about my eyes is funny, seeing as my eyes aren't actually brown. But how can my voice sound like dark chocolate? On another note, I've been hired for the part of Kyle Reese in Terminator Genisys._

* * *

 _Excerpt from the Diary of Annabeth Chase: December 1, 2014_

 _Annabeth's P.O.V._

 _Now it's been exactly four years since I last saw Percy. I no longer have any romantic interest in him whatsoever, but I miss him. Monsters never attack anymore, which is pretty strange, and the wild is thriving. I'm still suspicious. Maybe I'm being paranoid, but I feel like something big is coming. And we'll need Percy Jackson in order to face it. Camp has been pretty normal though. The Hermes cabin is still stealing things, and the Apollo campers still love basketball. The Aphrodite girls (excluding Piper) won't shut up about some new actor named Dylan Corentin though. I've seen pictures of him, and he's extremely attractive, but they need to calm down._

* * *

 _Excerpt from the Diary of Percy Jackson: Percy's P.O.V._

 _I've been continuing through the life of an actor. It's still really fun, and you get to meet a lot of famous people. I've seen Piper at a couple of parties because of her dad. Jason is usually with her. Actually, I've caught glimpses of several demigods over the years. I passed by Leo and Calypso's auto shop while walking around New York. I saw Hazel and Frank at a zoo in New Orleans. I even saw Annabeth designing a building in San Francisco. But I always keep my distance. People have started to get really pushy about dating me. They see me as single, and they kind of throw themselves at me. Girls and boys alike. Some just think I'm attractive, other's want to be in the spotlight, and still more have different reasons for wanting to date me. I'm trying to be polite about turning them down, but it's getting really annoying. It's worse, because I haven't dated anybody since Annabeth. And since I became famous, people see me as a bachelor that they have a chance with. There's also another problem. The thing about acting is that I have to kiss a lot of people because that's what people enjoy watching nowadays. Not only is that extremely creepy, but I also end up being shipped with some other celebrity. And don't even get me started on the gossip columns. Ugh._

* * *

 _Excerpt from the Diary of Percy Jackson: February 30, 2015_

 _I've been working on the stunts for Furious 7. One of them involved jumping off a bus and grabbing onto the end of a car. It was really fun. A lot of movies have required me to learn certain types of martial arts. By now, I must have learned like 10 different kinds. Also, my endurance has increased a lot. Sometimes I run to places instead of using my motorcycle. If I think I'm going to be late, I just vapor travel. On another note, I'm planning on taking a break from acting in a couple months. Strangely enough, I still haven't been attacked by any monsters. However, something caught my attention on the news today. Apparently nature has improved tremendously over the past couple of years. Also, winds have been picking up all over the world. The gods only have power in America, so why would nature be improving worldwide? Also, Pan's gone, right? And how would Zeus be causing windstorms in England?_

* * *

 _Excerpt from the Diary of Percy Jackson: August 18, 2015_

 _I turned 22 today, which is great, but something feels wrong. Sometimes, I swear that I can hear the wind whispering warnings in my ear. And flowers have been popping up like crazy. Also, I saw a sapling while running last week. Today, I passed it again, and it was a huge oak tree. I'm no biologist, but I'm pretty sure that plants don't grow that fast. On another note, the police managed to catch the man responsible for the death of my parents. Technically, that means I can return to CHB, but I don't think it's the right time. Not yet, at least. There's something coming, and I want to wait it out a little longer._

* * *

Date: December 1, 2015

It's been exactly five years since I left CHB. Los Angeles is no longer polluted because millions of trees have popped up over the past couple of months. The skies have been suspiciously silent as of late. Last night, I looked at the stars, and noticed that several constellations are missing, including Zoe's. Something's extremely wrong. I decide to go camping to clear my mind. I grab a tent, sleeping bag, and some supplies, and ride my motorcycle down to Malibu Creek State Park. I arrive at around noon. I hop off of my motorcycle, pick a nice spot, and set up my campsite. Then, I set off into the forest, straying far from the trails. I soon find myself standing next to a serene pool of water, sheltered by tall rocks. By the looks of it, nobody's been here in a long time. I squat down and trail my fingers in the water. Suddenly, I sense that I am not alone. There are several presences nearby, simply watching me. I decide to find out who they are. I make sure that my SPQR tattoo is covered in mist. Then, I stand up and turn, my eyes searching the trees for any hint of movement.

"Who's out there?" I ask warily.

To my surprise, Thalia materializes from a tree, an arrow notched and pointed at my head. She doesn't seem to recognize me. I remember that my hair is still brown and that I have my contacts in. I decide to remain Dylan Corentin for now. I can reveal that I am Percy Jackson later.

"Um, hi?", I say. I'm not entirely sure how else to react.

"Who are you?", my cousin asks, glaring at me.

"My name is Dylan Corentin. What's yours?", I respond. Thalia ignores my question.

"Why are you out here?" she questions. I stare at her, feigning confusion.

"I was going for a walk, and I decided to stray from the trails. Why do you have a bow and arrow?" I reply. I add a touch of panic to my expression.

"You can tell that it's a bow?", Thalia queries. Now she'll think that I'm a clear sighted mortal.

"What else would it be? A walking stick? No way in hell is that a walking stick." I say, careful to use the word hell instead of Hades. Thalia's eyes turn steely. She raises her bow and shoots it at my arm at lightning speed. I manage to turn to vapor as the arrow leaves her bow, simultaneously using the mist to make it look like I'm still solid. The arrow passes through me completely and embeds itself into a rock.

"What the hell was that for? You could have killed me! Why didn't it hit my arm?", I yell, pretending to be extremely angry. Thalia looks thoughtful.

"Perhaps you are a legacy then. My arrow went through you, but your aura suggests that you are related somehow to the sea. It's very faint. I guess that the godly blood is too diluted for godly metals to affect you." she says. I widen my eyes.

"What do you mean legacy? What aura? And godly? Are you saying that God exists?" I practically scream at her. It's kind of fun to pretend I have no idea what she's talking about. And she came up with a perfect explanation for my scent of the sea. Thalia sighs.

"Let's take him back to the camp. Dylan will need an introduction. Then, he can be sent on his way. Unless Lady Artemis wants to talk to him as well.'" Seven silver blurs drop out of the trees surrounding the clearing. I suddenly find myself surrounded by eight Hunters (including Thalia). They take me to their camp while I yell in apparent confusion. I question the hunters as to where they're taking me, who they are, why they have weapons, and so on, but I never get an answer. I wasn't actually expecting one. Once we arrive at the campsite, the world of the gods is explained to me. I pretend to listen, asking them questions about the greek myths and nodding my head in understanding. I even ask about godly DNA, even though thinking about it gives me a headache. Once Thalia is done with her explanation, I ask her to tell me her name, and whose daughter she is. She sighs and tells me what I already know. I ask her whether she has a lot of siblings. I also ask her whether there are any modern day heroes. She tells me about the Pact of the Big Three, and regales me with a full account of my adventures. The hunters also chip in at parts. I am extremely flattered that even the hunters respect me, but I don't really think I deserve it. As Thalia finishes speaking, Artemis flashes in. She is in her twelve year old form as usual.

"Who is the boy?", the goddess of the moon asks my cousin. Thalia explains the events of the day. Artemis nods in understanding.

"I'll take him to CHB then." And just like that, I am flashed to Half-Blood Hill. I wonder briefly about my motorcycle, but then realize that it had probably returned to my garage by now (It had taken me a while to figure out the runes, but I had enchanted it to do that). Artemis walks with me to the Big House, where she explain to Chiron that I am a legacy of the sea, and that I am now completely aware of the godly world. Then, she flashes away, leaving me with Chiron. The old centaur takes me to the dining hall, where the Greeks and Romans are all assembled. I had forgotten that the Romans usually visited at this time of year. They seem to be toasting someone, and I suddenly realize that everyone has blue liquid in their cup. All eyes turn to me when I walk in, and the Aphrodite/Venus girls stare at me in shock. They probably recognize me from my movies. I see my old friends gazing at me as well, and I really hope that they have forgiven me. No one moves, and I shift uncomfortably. Chiron takes his seat next to Dionysus, who looks extremely bored, and introduces me.

"Demigods, this is Dylan Corentin. He is a legacy of the seas. Because of that, he will stay in Cabin Number 3." Everybody gasps. There is a moment of silence. Then, the Aphrodite and Venus girls all produce posters of me and swarm me. Piper remains where she is and facepalms herself.

"OH MY GODS! CAN YOU SIGN MY POSTER?"

"CAN YOU GIVE ME A KISS ON THE CHEEK?"

"I LOVE YOU DYLAN! YOU ARE SO HOT!"

I back away from the advancing children of love, and look at Chiron for help. Chiron stands up.

"Cabin 10, please refrain from attacking the new camper!", he yells. They pout and go back to their table. Piper looks at me apologetically.

"Sorry about that.", I wave her off.

"Don't worry about it." Many of the female demigods swoon at the sound of my voice. I frown. My voice isn't that attractive. Is it? I know my looks have gotten better, but come on! The girls are acting like I'm the god of male beauty. I internally shudder at the thought.

"So, cabin 3, right?" Chiron nods.

"Jason can escort you to your cabin." he points at Jason.

"Come on, hotshot. Your cabin is this way.", the son of Zeus says. We walk in silence. After a while, I speak up.

"Hey wait. What's your last name?" I ask.

"Grace." he replies.

"Oh, so Thalia's your sister." I remark. Jason tenses.

"How do you know Thalia?", he asks politely, but I can hear the tension underneath.

"She's the girl who found me in Malibu, brought me to the hunter's camp, explained this weird world, told Artemis about me, and got me teleported here." I explain.

"Ah." Jason relaxes at my words. When we reach Cabin 3, Jason pushes open the door for me. It's exactly the way that I left it.

"Pick a bed, and get settled. You've got a lot to learn." I immediately put my camping backpack down on my old bed. Jason winces almost imperceptibly. I turn to him.

"Is there a way I can buy clothes?" Jason raises an eyebrow.

"Aren't you a celebrity?" I shrug.

"I was abducted from a campground. It's not like I had time to go back to my house and pack. I've got my wallet on me though." I say. Jason laughs.

"There's a camp store. But I'd suggest you go in the morning." he replies.

"Alrighty then. See you in the morning." I fake a yawn.

"Bye." Jason turns and walks away. I close the door, collapse on my bed, and go to sleep.

The next morning, I go to the camp store, and buy some CHB t-shirts and some jeans. I also buy some sweatpants, a hoodie, and a pair of shorts. I return to my cabin, shut the door, and vapor travel to my house. I grab some toiletries and some undergarments, and vapor travel back. I remove my shield watch, my bow ring, and my spear bracelet, and put them in my left pocket. My sword pens are in my other pocket. This way, no one can steal them or trigger them, but they are within easy reach. I change into an orange CHB t-shirt and some jeans, and head to breakfast. I summon some normal colored food. Then, I conspicuously look around and copy what everybody else is doing. I sacrifice the food to "the seas". As I eat, I look at my schedule and grin. I've got archery next. It will help me pretend to be Dylan a lot. As far as the campers are aware, Percy Jackson sucks at archery. However, "Dylan Corentin" does not. I jog over to archery, where Chiron is handing out bows. He cautiously hands me a bow, and backs away. It's probably because of the curse on all sons of Poseidon, and therefore people connected to the seas. I expertly nock an arrow, raise the bow, and shoot. I get a bullseye and I grin at Chiron, who looks shocked. Next, I go to hand to hand combat. I dominate there as well. People ask me where I learned to fight. I reply with two words: stunt training. Annabeth takes me to the armory to get me a weapon. I decide to use a relatively well balanced spear. This will further throw people off of my scent because Percy Jackson is a great swordsman. "Dylan" prefers the spear. I raise the spear, give it few twirls, try some experimental jabs, and nod. Annabeth looks surprised at the fact that I can handle a spear with such ease.

"Stunt training" I explain, and she nods in understanding.

A couple of weeks later, it's New Year's Eve. I'm enjoying my life here, although I am planning to tell the campers who I really am soon. Speaking of the campers, they are all excited for tonight. There's no training today. Instead, the Greeks and Romans are left to their own devices. At 10:00 tonight, there is going to be an informal party, which will last all the way until 2:00 in the morning tomorrow. I try to enjoy my day by hanging out with my old friends, but something feels very wrong. I can feel it in the air, something big is going to happen tonight, and I don't think I'll like it at all.

It's 11:55, and the New Year's Party is in full swing. Everybody is celebrating, partying as hard as they can. But I'm wary, watching my surroundings for any sign of an attack. My shield watch and spear bracelet are back on my wrists, my bow ring is on my finger, and I have a hand in my pocket, wrapped around Anaklusmos. Soon, the countdown starts.

"10...9...8..." Something moves in the shadows. I look towards it.

"7...6...5..." The lights flicker, but I'm the only one to notice.

"4...3...2..." I mentally steel myself.

"1...HAPPY NEW YEAR'S!" And a giant lightning bolt comes down from the sky and demolishes the nearby campfire. Several campers scream. It leaves a crater at least 100 feet in diameter, and is about 50 feet deep. That lightning bolt wasn't from Zeus. Hundreds of red eyes start to glow in the forest. Monsters. What makes it worse is that they are already past the barrier. There is a blinding flash as the Olympian Council as well as Hestia and Hades flashes in. As soon as the glow fades from their bodies, vines rise from the ground and ensnare them. I look closer and realize that the vines have celestial bronze wrapped around them, stopping the Olympians from doing anything.

"Happy New Year's indeed. To a new year, a new start, a new era!", a feminine voice hisses softly.

"Yes. A new era. You will make a better queen than your sister.", a male voice booms.

"WHO ARE YOU?", Zeus thunders as he struggles within his restraints.

"I am Phusis, primordial of nature. And this is Ouranos, your dearest grandfather.", the now named Phusis laughs.

"No." Zeus whispers in shock.

"Yes.", Ouranos replies in amusement.

"Now watch, Olympians, as your demigods die. Let's make it more fun! Where are the hunters?", Phusis cackles. Artemis's silver eyes blaze in fury.

"Don't you dare touch them!" I notice that she is in her 20 year old form. Probably better for battle. It really suits her, she should stay in it more often. I blink, bringing my focus back to the primordials. Why is Artemis so distracting, anyways? There is a flash of green light, and the hunters appear. They take in the situation, and quickly draw their bows and knives. The campers follow their example and bring out their weapons.

"You want to fight? Have fun!", Phusis and Ouranos say in unison. At that, the monsters charge, and I am astounded by the sheer number of monsters. The first wave is a gigantic mob of hellhounds. I bring out my borrowed spear, and leap into the fray. I have a feeling that it wouldn't be wise to reveal myself just yet. I stab at a hellhound, twirl around, and pierce another. I flip over a third, stabbing it, and whack a fourth in the head so hard that it bursts into dust. On and on this goes. Once we've finished the first wave, I look around. We haven't lost any campers yet, but some are heavily injured. The next wave of monsters are dracaena. I stab at the monsters over and over again, whirling through their ranks like a tornado. I see some campers using their powers, but they'll quickly tire out. After a while, we finally destroy the second wave. The third wave is made of cyclops. The fourth is made of telekhines. We finish these monsters off after a while. We've already lost about 12 campers. Many of the Olympians' faces are full of rage, sadness or pain. When the fifth and final wave comes, I know that we are majorly screwed. It's completely made of werewolves, and there are at least two thousand of them. Only the hunters have weapons of silver. The demigods with powers will have to use them, but they will tire quickly. The demigods without will have to retreat into the dining pavilion. And that's what happens. I want to help, but I feel like the primordials are waiting for me to show up. So I wait. The primordials have almost certainly planned for my water powers. They have probably planned for the rest of the known demigods' powers as well. As Dylan Corentin, I can only fight with a spear. Any other powers will cause the two primordials to try to find my weaknesses. But I want them to continue underestimating me. This will give me the element of surprise later on. Jason and Thalia blast the werewolves with lightning. Thalia shooting arrows, and Jason flying around, but I can see how exhausting it is. Piper yells at the werewolves with charmspeak, causing some of them to turn on each other. However, she is losing her voice. Hazel and Nico are using the earth against the lycanthropes. Nico brings dozens of skeletons to life, and Hazel uses the mist and her control over metals to confuse and crush the werewolves. But they are also running out of steam. Reyna is trying her best to supply the fighters with strength, but she doesn't have that much left. Annabeth, surprisingly, is riding Arion, retrieving injured campers from the battle. None of the children of Demeter can use their powers because Phusis is stopping them. Leo and Festus are setting the werewolves on fire, but the werewolves just run over to the lake or the ocean and douse themselves. I can see Poseidon getting annoyed at this. Frank is turning from animal to animal, ripping through the werewolves, but he is covered in wounds. He's barely managing not to get bitten. Calypso is healing as many people as she can, but there are a lot of injured campers. The nature spirits are trying their best with their wooden weapons, but it's not really helping. The hunters are running out of arrows. Some are using their knives, and sustaining many cuts and bruises. They are also barely avoiding the werewolves' jaws. Suddenly, I see a werewolf leap at Annabeth, who had just lifted an injured camper onto Arion, and was climbing on herself. The werewolf's claws cut deep gashes in her stomach, and she collapses onto Arion's back, unconscious from the pain. Arion runs back to our lines, whinnying frantically. He's too far away for me to understand, but I'm pretty sure that he is cussing at the top of his lungs. I see Apollo campers go to heal her, but I don't stay and watch. I have to do something. I may not like her romantically anymore, but she is my best friend. And no one messes with my best friend.

"ENOUGH!" I scream, my voice rolling across the battle like a tidal wave. Everybody looks at me. The fighting demigods take the opportunity to retreat back to our lines. Reyna hops on Arion and grabs the rest of the injured campers. Meanwhile, I step forward, holding a wooden staff I fashioned from a nearby tree (after asking the nymph if it was okay). Even though Annabeth was injured, I have a feeling that I shouldn't reveal myself just yet. By the looks of it, we've got two primordials on our hands. So we'll need as many advantages over them as possible.

"Ah. If it isn't the newest hero of Olympus. Our little celebrity..." Ouranos says.

"Shut up, you a*hole. That's what you are. Ur-anus." I growl out sarcastically. Ouranos bellows in rage.

"You want to die, Corentin? Then die." At that, the werewolves charge, and everybody looks really worried. I start defending myself, spinning my staff in circles and whacking the lycans in the head with my stick. I knock out a werewolf, and rip one of his claws from his hand. I use the claw to finish off the wolves I knock out. I continue on. Whack. Snap. Crack. Oomph. Hiss. Pow. Snick. Growl. I duck under a set of claws, smash my fist into a lycanthrope's jaw, and flip over a line of werewolves to swing my staff in a large circle, toppling enemies like bowling pins. As I continue on, they start to overwhelm me. It's one against a thousand, and worse, more monsters keep appearing. I know I can't use my powers, so I decide to do what I did in Mt. St. Helens.

I focus on all of my power, and imagine a ball of energy forming inside me. The little ball of energy isn't made up of the sea's essence, though. It's made completely out of my own personal life energy, so that no one will be able to identify any of my powers. Koios had taught me that every living being has some amount energy. This is either godly, mortal, or a mixture of both. Most mortals have purely mortal energy. Clear sighted mortals have a tiny bit of godly energy. Mortals with godly energy or a lot of mortal energy do extraordinary things. Demigods have a mixture of godly and mortal energy. The higher the ratio of godly to mortal energy is, the more power the demigod has. The amount of energy they have also affects their power level. Gods have godly energy. Go figure. This life energy is what keeps us alive. Expending or stopping it is how death comes about. This means that I can't use all of it, because I'd die. I can only use a small amount without getting injured. So that's what I do. Once my ball of life energy has 'formed', I let it all out.

"LEAVE US ALONE!" I scream as I expel the energy ball outwards, causing a wave of pure energy to explode out from me in a circular pattern. Somehow, I don't pass out, although my vision is very blurry. I lean on my stick for balance as I glare at Ouranos. The monsters have been completely obliterated, and everyone looks shocked.

"I underestimated you this time, Corentin... I shall not make the same mistake again. We shall meet again, Dylan, and I will rip you from limb to limb." Ouranos growls.

"Breathe the other way please. Your opinions are bleaching my hair. Actually, never mind that. I don't mind you talking so much as long as you don't mind me not listening." I sass. Phusis decides to speak up.

"Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut, and you just might stay out of trouble." she replies. I look at her.

"Sorry, but it's in my nature to get in trouble. Speaking of which, how can you love nature so much when it did that to you?' I respond, gesturing vaguely at her face.

"Corentin..." she growls, extremely pissed off. Whoops.

"I will rip-" I cut her off in the middle of whatever death threat she was going to give me. Seriously, people need to get more creative with these things. One can only hear the same old death threat so many times before it no longer scares them.

"Pardon me, but you're obviously mistaking me for someone who gives a damn." I snark. Phusis snarls again.

"Didn't you ever learn to respect your elders in school, boy?" she growls. I stare at her impassively.

"Yes." I say.

"And I suppose they were unsuccessful in making that lesson stick?" she continues. I keep my face straight, and inject a bit of annoyance into my expression.

"Obviously." I make sure to enunciate each syllable carefully. I had recently watched Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix, and I couldn't resist channeling a little Snape. I keep an extremely bored expression on my face, but internally, I'm on the brink of collapse. I expended a lot of power, and if either of the two primordials notice, they could attack. And at that point, we'd be so completely and utterly screwed. But Fate is never on my side. I shift my feet, and my knees buckle a bit. Ouranos notices, and capitalizes on it immediately. How? By talking more. Honestly, I have no idea why these guys are so powerful. Their sheer arrogance blinds them from literally everything. But I'm not complaining.

"I can tell that you are too tired to fight anymore. Just give up, Corentin." Ouranos sneers.

"And why do you say that?" I say blandly, still channeling my inner Slytherin. Ouranos looks surprised.

"I just know." he says. He's about to say more, but I start talking before he can continue.

"You just know? Once again, you astonish me with your ultimate powers of perception, Ouranos. Powers mere gods and mortals alike could only dream of possessing. How grand it must be, to be the lord of the sky. It is quite easy to see that thousands of years of experience have not been wasted on you, Ouranos. 'You just know', indeed." I say slowly, words dripping with sarcasm. This doesn't go the way I expect it to. Instead of being insulted, Ouranos almost looks mollified.

"Well, yes. Of course I have amazing power." he replies, and I struggle to keep my apathetic expression. A brilliant idea pops into my head.

"Congratulations. You are extremely intelligent. You know what? We should be given a grace period of about a year, so that we will have enough time to truly comprehend your awesomeness.", I intone. Ouranos looks gleeful.

"You see?", he says, turning to Phusis.

"They've actually recognized my superiority!" That statement almost makes me fall over. My stomach aches from both the earlier exertion and holding back my laughter. Obviously, Ouranos has never heard of extreme sarcasm before. It reminds me of Nyx, who didn't realize we were tricking her either. Ouranos turns back to us.

"I shall give you your year, Corentin. None on your side shall be harmed by anyone on our side from now to the first of January next year. I swear it on Chaos." The stars seem to wink out of existence, and the ground starts to shake lightly. After a second, it stops. Now, I need to provoke them. As Percy Jackson, I had always worried about my friends being hurt because of my sarcasm. So I always held my sass back. Now, as Dylan Corentin, a guy with no apparent connections to the demigods, I can let Persassy loose. If I can insult the primordials enough, their anger will cause them to focus on killing me, leaving other demigods free to do massive amounts of damage without risk. And these two primordials won't be able to touch me for another year, so I can say whatever I want.

"Perfect. Now, I do believe it's time for you to depart. I could do without your face, and your neck, and your hands, and your limbs, and other of your charms. Indeed, not to fatigue myself with enumerating each of them, I could do without you, Ouranos, altogether." Ouranos blinks in shock. I turn to Phusis.

"I'd insult you as well, but Nature seems to have done the job already." Phusis looks about ready to blow.

"Look here, Ouranos. Somewhere out there, there is a tree that is working very hard to replace all of the oxygen your head is filled with. Isn't that right, Phusis?" Ouranos looks absolutely thunderstruck.

"As Chiron says in Titus Andronicus, you are a foul-spoken coward, that thund'rest with thy tongue, but with thy weapon nothing darest perform. "

I continue my onslaught of insults. The gods and demigods look completely flabbergasted. Ouranos has an extremely stormy expression on his face.

"HOW DAR-" I interrupt him.

"No, no. Please do not say more. More conversation with you will infect my brain. Methink'st thou art a general offence and everyone should scorn thee. Why, if you were clean enough to spit on, I'd do so. You are not worth another word, else I'd call you idiot." I interrupt him.

With that, I smirk mockingly at them. Both primordials glare at me, unable to actually do anything because of their oath. They leave, muttering darkly under their breaths. The gods are suddenly free of their restraints, and they all stare at me in shock. The demigods do the same. I look around, seeing nothing but awe and surprise on the faces of those around me. Then, the demigods burst out laughing, cheering my name. The gods chuckle amongst themselves.

"DYLAN! DYLAN!" the demigods yell with enthusiasm. But I'm not listening anymore.

My vision starts to blur, black creeping in around the edges. The last thing I see before I lose consciousness is a pair of silver glowing eyes, full of grudging respect.

* * *

 **How'd ya like it? Good? Bad? So so? REVIEW SO I CAN FIND OUT! - Spathi**


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